Jerky Preparation and Creating Your Own Blend

Jerky Preparation and Creating Your Own Blend

Posted on: January 16, 2023

Dried, smoked, and roasted foods are gaining popularity thanks to modern carnivores and their love for barbequed foods. We get to enjoy protein-rich snacks like Jerky. Jerky has been a favorite for generations and that’s the reason we see a wide variety of recipes in terms of both spice mix and cooking process.

Of course, you can grab Jerky in several flavors from the store but preparing it with creative flavors at home has a different kind of satisfaction, while saving you some money. Here we will be sharing some popular blends for preparing beef Jerky that you can easily try at home.

Remember to always mix the ingredients thoroughly. Mix everything together in a large covered bowl (Plastic), making sure all the meat is submerged. Put in fridge overnight. The next day, remove the meat and put it in a dehydrator or smoker.

Smoke the meat for 2 hours having a setup of about 120 (48.9C) to 140 (60C) F is fine. Hickory seems to work best. If you are not using Instacure #1 (sodium Nitrite) then you MUST smoke/dry at temperatures above 140F (60C).

Here is a video for a hamburger jerky recipe and another video for a beef jerky recipe.

#1. Spicy Beef Jerky

Mix 2 teaspoons each of Worcestershire sauce and black pepper, onion powder, and salt. Add a half teaspoon of garlic powder and half a cup of low-sodium soy sauce. Use 2 pounds of beef flank steak in this recipe.

#2. Lime and Chilli Beef Jerky

Take 2 tablespoons each of Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce, and half a teaspoon of salt. Now give it a good mix and add a zest of 1 lime, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, and 1 and a half tablespoon of lime juice. Use 1 lb lean beef with this recipe.

#3. Sweet and Spicy Beef Jerky

Mix 1 teaspoon of salt with half a teaspoon each of onion powder and garlic powder. Add 1 teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoon sugar, and 2 whole Habaneros. Finally, blend in 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and a little cold water. Use 1lb lean beef with this recipe.

#4. Garlic and Pepper Beef Jerky

Take ¼ cup of soy sauce with an equal amount of water. Now blend in 2 tablespoons each of brown sugar and black pepper with half a teaspoon of salt and garlic powder. Finally, add a quarter teaspoon of onion powder. For this recipe use 1lb of beef (or venison).

#5. Smoked Beef Jerky

Mix ¼ cup each of Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce with 1 tablespoon of black pepper. Add 4 tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce and some cold water. Use 1 lb beef for this recipe.

#6 Smoked Honeyed Salmon Jerky Recipe

Cure #1 consists of 1 cup kosher salt, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup maple syrup or birch syrup. You can make this Smoked Honey Salmon Jerky in a dehydrator. If you plan on putting smoke to it, remember your cure #1. For one pound, you will need just a tad under 1/4 tsp. Just add 1/2 tsp cure #1 mixed with 1/4 cup water to the marinade for a few hours. Cold smoke with Alder bisquettes. This recipe is for 1 lb of smoked salmon.

For more great ideas on how to get the most of your Bradley Smoker, check out the awesome articles on our Bradley Smoker Food Smoking Blog for more tips & tricks.